Go Gentle
by bittersweetblonde
Summary: From the moment she was born, she was a daddy's girl and as the years pass by, that never changes. A Sawyer/Lucas Oneshot.


**Hi everyone, I know this kind of fic has been done before, but I heard this song the other day and it gave me the idea for this. I hope you all like it! :)**

* * *

**Go Gentle**

_You're gonna meet some strangers_  
_Welcome to the zoo_  
_Bitter disappointments_  
_Except for one or two_  
_Some of them are angry_  
_Some of them are mean_  
_Most of them are twisted_  
_Few of them are clean_

Sawyer Scott was five years old and today was a big day for her, she was starting school! She'd been a little bit scared to begin with. It would all be new to her, it was a huge building and she wasn't going to know anybody, but a little chat with her Daddy at breakfast that morning had eased her worries a little.

"Are you excited about your first day baby?" Lucas asked before he took a bite of his toast, but Sawyer didn't answer straight away which was unlike her and as Lucas looked at his precious daughter, he could see slight fear in her eyes.

"A little. I'm a bit scared though." She replied after a while, feeling her Daddy's blue eyes looking at her own ones.

"It's ok to be scared princess, but you've got nothing to worry about. You're going to love it and you probably won't want to leave when I come to pick you up later." He told her and she just sighed, not really believing him much.

"What if I don't make any friends?" She asked.

"Sawyer Scott not making any friends? Are you kidding me? Who wouldn't want to be your friend?" He asked and she just shrugged. "School's like the zoo you know." He said and Sawyer suddenly looked at him with more interest. She loved the zoo and always had tons of fun there!

"Really?" She asked and Lucas nodded as his wife joined them at the table.

"Yeah." He answered. "You remember when you first went to the zoo and saw all the animals for the first time? They were strangers to you, some you liked and some you didn't. Well school's like that on the first day." He told her. "You're going to see a lot of different people today, some of them you'll like and some of them you won't, but if you get scared, just think of the zoo and it won't seem so bad." He explained and Sawyer nodded with a smile, feeling a little bit better about the whole thing.

"Thank you Daddy." She said and then ate the rest of her breakfast.

Half an hour later and Lucas was about to head off for work. "I'll see you later babe." He said as he kissed his wife goodbye. He really wanted to go with Peyton and take their little girl to school on her first day, but his work commitments wouldn't let him. Thankfully though, he finished work earlier than Peyton did which meant he'd get to pick Sawyer up at home time.

"Alright and hey, thanks for the zoo chat with her earlier, she's been a lot happier than she was when she woke up." Peyton told him and Lucas just smiled.

"What can I say? She's a Daddy's girl through and through right?" He replied and then left for work.

As the time ticked on Lucas couldn't wait to go and pick up his beloved daughter, Peyton had called him around lunchtime letting him know that there'd been no dramas or tears when she'd dropped their little girl off that morning, well not on Sawyers part anyway, but Peyton had admitted that she'd shed a few tears of her own in seeing their daughter walk into the building and being that little bit more grown up.

It soon got to picking up time and Lucas was waiting around in the playground. "Daddy! Daddy!" He heard and then saw his gorgeous daughter running towards him with a big smile on her face. As soon as she reached his waiting arms, he picked her up and kissed her.

"Hey princess, how was your first day?" He asked before placing her back down on the ground.

"The best ever!" She exclaimed in happiness as they began walking home. "I made loads of new friends, I've got a lovely teacher and it was just like the zoo!" She told him. "There was even monkeys!" She added and Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"There was?" He asked.

"Yeah, all the boys were just like them!" She giggled and suddenly Lucas felt as scared as Sawyer had that morning. He'd not been prepared for boys in his daughters life just yet!

* * *

_Now when you go dancing with young men down at the disco_  
_Just keep it simple_  
_You don't have to kiss though_

Thankfully Lucas didn't have to worry about boys too much, not for a good while anyway. Sawyer and her friends really did only think of the boys at school as monkeys and that was all. Some of them they even avoided like the plague and thought they were horrible and disgusting, but when Sawyer hit ten, things started to change. Her and her friends had started to mix with them more. They'd play kiss chase with them at playtimes and Sawyer had even got herself a boy best friend, but only her Mom knew about that.

There's a school disco on Friday night, would I be allowed to go?" Sawyer asked one night over dinner.

"Yeah I don't see why not, you've had good attendance this term, it would be a nice treat for you." Peyton told her.

"What time does it finish?" Lucas asked.

"About nine so not late." Sawyer answered and Lucas nodded saying he'd take her and pick her up.

As the week went on, Sawyer was getting excited. She'd never been to a disco before, well not a proper one anyway. She'd been to the family party types, but they didn't really count.

Peyton had called Brooke in Tree Hill during that week and the fashion designer had come up wonders with a dress for her best friends daughter and had it shipped to her in time for the disco itself.

It soon got to Friday and after Sawyer had finished school for the day and had her dinner, she had a shower and got herself ready for the disco. She was so thankful for the dress Brooke had designed for her, it looked perfect! Putting her hair in an up do, she then let a few of her natural blonde curls fall loose around her face and put on a little bit of make up before grabbing her shoes and bag and heading downstairs.

"Wow." Lucas said as his daughter walked into the living room, taking his breath away as she did so. He'd never seen her look more beautiful or grown up! "Sorry, do you live here, only you don't look like my daughter." He told her and then Peyton gasped as she walked into the living room.

"Sawyer." She said in awe. "You look so beautiful." She told her and Sawyer just blushed.

"Thanks, but it's all in the genes right?" She replied, causing both Lucas and Peyton to laugh.

"You ready to go then angel?" Lucas asked, getting up from the couch and getting his car keys from his pocket and Sawyer nodded.

"Oh wait, do you need any money for food or soft drinks?" Peyton asked before they were about to leave and Sawyer shook her head.

"No, the school's laying it on for free." She told her Mom.

"Well they've stepped up since our day." She chuckled and then kissed her daughter goodbye. "You have fun tonight ok and no slow dancing with Mason." She teased only for Sawyers eyes to go wide and Peyton realised what she'd just said.

"Mason?" Lucas asked and Peyton mouthed a 'sorry' in Sawyers direction.

"We should go Dad. I don't want to be late." Sawyer said, trying to cover up her Mom's slip up and then grabbed her Dad's arm and literally dragged him to the car.

"So who's Mason?" Lucas asked on their way there and Sawyer sighed, she knew she'd be interrogated in the car.

"Nobody." She replied, not wanting to make a big thing of this.

"Nobody that you like?" Luke questioned and Sawyer wished the ground would swallow her up. She didn't want to be talking about boys with her Dad and she was really wishing her Mom hadn't been so careless in blurting it out earlier.

"I like him yeah. We're friends." She replied and Lucas had lots of different thoughts going around in his head at that comment.

He'd been friends with the opposite sex at her age. He was best friends with Haley and had never felt a romantic connection with her, but then he'd also been friends with Peyton once and she was now his wife! Come to think of it, he'd also been friends with Brooke at one point too before they started dating.

"Do you like him more than that?" He asked and Sawyer just looked out of the window, wishing that this wasn't happening right now.

"Dad, please! This is embarrassing!" She replied and Lucas had got his answer. If Sawyer liked Mason the way he liked Haley, she would have laughed or told him to shut up, but she hadn't and for the rest of the journey, they were both silent.

Once Lucas pulled up at the school, he stopped Sawyer before she could attempt to get out of the car and asked if he could just talk to her for a few minutes. Still being a bit of a Daddy's girl, Sawyer stayed put and nodded. Whatever her Dad had to say, she knew it was because he loved her just as much as she loved him.

"I know you're not little anymore, you're growing up and growing into an amazing and beautiful girl and boys are going to start showing an interest in you and you will for them...if you haven't already, but when you go in there tonight, just keep things simple ok? If this Mason boy asks you to dance or any other boy for that matter, accept it and dance with them, but don't kiss any of them." He advised and as much as she wanted to, Sawyer didn't laugh. Instead she just nodded and kissed his cheek.

"I won't and don't worry Dad, you're still the only boy I like to kiss." She told him and it was the truth, she may have been playing kiss chase recently, but she'd never been caught yet and she hadn't managed to catch anyone herself. "You're the only boy I love too." She added while looking at him. "Those boys in there can still be monkeys." She informed him with a chuckle and he laughed too remembering back to what she'd called them on her first day of school.

Lucas nodded and then saw some kids heading inside and he looked at his daughter. "Go on, get going kiddo. You have fun tonight ok and I'll pick you up in a few hours." He said before kissing her goodbye.

"Thanks Dad, I love you." She said.

"I love you too." He replied with a smile and then watched as she made her way inside.

* * *

_Don't waste time with the idiots that think that they're heroes_  
_They will betray you_  
_Stick with us weirdos_

Sawyer was fifteen now and in High School. She'd made a few new friends, but she'd lost an important one too. Mason had moved away with his family last year. His Dad had been offered a better job and sadly it wasn't in the same State. The pair of them still kept in touch, but it wasn't the same.

She'd also been going through a phase of liking bad boys and one in particular had caught her eye. He was called Jay and he was a little cocky. He walked around School like he owned the place, made out he was God's gift when it came to the girls and carried around a knight in shining armour reputation for damsels in distress. Usually Sawyer wouldn't have liked a boy like that, he would have been everything she detested and one of the boys who she would have avoided like the plague when she'd first started school. Gone were the days where she liked polite boys like Mason who had manners, instead she was interested in the opposite.

Thankfully though, she'd seen Jay for what he really was in the end. He was no knight in shining armour, he was no hero like her Dad, he was a knight in shining tinfoil, sadly for Sawyer though, she'd had to find that out the hard way.

He'd been nice to her to begin with. Some jerk had been storming down the corridor at school and had sent Sawyer flying in the process along with all her books and art stuff that she'd been carrying.

"Gee, thanks moron!" She shouted as the douche didn't stop to apologise or help.

"Here, let me." She suddenly heard and looked behind her to see Jay stood there offering her his hand to help her up.

"Thanks." She said and then watched as he crouched down to retrieve some of her stuff once he'd gotten her on her feet again.

"No problem." He replied with a smile. "Sawyer right?" He asked and she nodded before opening her locker to put her stuff in. "I've always admired your artwork...and you if I'm honest" He told her, taking her by surprise. She never thought a guy like him would have looked twice at her art never mind at herself!

"Sorry, what?" She asked and he let out a small laugh at her bewilderment.

"I've seen your artwork around the school, seen you as well, just never had the pleasure of saving or speaking to you before." He explained and she just smiled.

She'd loved art from a young age and she was sure that she wanted to study it at college in a few years. Maybe even make a career out of it in the future. It had all come from her Mom obviously and she had to laugh to herself about the situation she was now in. This took her back to the times when she was little and would ask her parents how they met. Their story was all about art, heroes and love...

"I've seen you around school too, heard a lot about you, guess I've always wanted to speak to you as well." Sawyer told Jay.

"How about we get to know each other more?" He asked. "Come out with me tonight?" He suggested and Sawyer mulled it over in her head. She'd never gone out with a boy before, she wasn't sure what her parents would say, especially her Dad, but she really wanted to go. Maybe she could text her Mom later and say she was going around her friend Caitlyn's or something?

"Yeah ok then." Sawyer answered him with a smile.

"Great, meet me at the School gates at home time. See you later gorgeous." He said and gave her a wink before walking to his next class.

Sawyer had been on cloud nine for the rest of the afternoon, she'd texted her Mom at lunch, making out she wasn't coming home and would be at Caitlyn's, she'd also told Caitlyn incase anything came up that would blow her cover and she counted down the hours until home time.

When it finally came, she walked out of school, headed for the gates and she saw Jay in the distance, but he wasn't alone. He was there with Ellie Thomas, the most popular girl in school and he had his tongue firmly down her throat. At first she felt hurt, then angry and then stupid!

Gaining up some composure and her Mom's fiery spirit, she walked over to the pair of them and they pulled away feeling her presence.

"Sawyer!" Jay said in shock.

"Don't bother ok. Don't talk me in School. If you see me, pass me without a word and if I look like I need saving again, let someone else rescue me. You're as bad as that moron that sent me flying earlier if not worse!" She told him and then looked at Ellie. "In a few hours he'll have his tongue down someone else's throat, so enjoy it while it lasts." She informed her and then went walking off back home.

Hearing the door go, Lucas was surprised to see his daughter home so early hearing off Peyton that she'd be at a friends and before he could say anything, Sawyer did it for him. "I didn't end up going to Caitlyn's in the end, some family crisis or something?" She said and then went upstairs.

She'd spent the rest of the evening up there and when Peyton had no luck in getting her to talk, she asked Lucas for help.

"She's acting really off and she keeps saying it's nothing. Will you talk to her? She might open up to you? She's still a Daddy's girl after all." Peyton said and he nodded before giving his wife a reassuring kiss and then headed up to his daughters bedroom.

"Sawy?" He gently said as he tapped on her door. "It's me, can I come in?" He asked.

"Erm...yeah." She faintly replied and as he opened her door, he found her lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling and he could see the tear marks down her face. "Hey, hey. What's wrong, what's happened?" He asked as he sat on her bed and held his arms out for her to cuddle into and she did just that before bursting into tears.

"I'm so sorry." She sobbed and Lucas just held her while rubbing a hand up and down her back.

"Sorry for what?" He asked.

"I lied to you and Mom. I lied about going to Caitlyn's. I was never going in the first place." She admitted and Lucas pulled away and looked at his daughter.

"Ok." He said with a nod and then wiped some tears from her cheeks. "Why did you tell your Mom you were then?" He asked tentatively, not wanting to get angry with her, especially when she'd admitted she'd lied.

"I've been so stupid Dad." She said and then looked down, but Lucas lifted her head up and looked at her.

"Why? What's happened?" He asked and Sawyer sighed.

"There's this boy." She started and Lucas instantly felt protective, maybe too protective.

"What did he do?" He cut in, his tone changing into one of a Father that wanted to hunt a jerk down for hurting his daughter and Sawyer just smiled a little.

"That mostly." She answered and Lucas looked confused. "He kind of saved me, some idiot sent me flying along with my books in the corridor at school today and he helped me up and stuff. Then he told me he liked my artwork and that he liked me and asked if I'd go out with him tonight to get to know him better. He used all the right words Dad, acted like a hero...reminded me of you and Mom and how you always saved her." She explained and Lucas just sighed.

"Sawyer, I don't want you going out there wanting to find yourself a hero ok. I always saved your Mom yes, but I hated doing it because every time I did, it meant that she was in danger. It may sound romantic, but it was scary as hell, so don't ever put yourself in a dangerous situation because you want a hero to save you." He told her and Sawyer rolled her eyes.

"Dad I fell over and dropped a few books, it was hardly life threatening." She said and Lucas just looked at her.

"Sawyer." He warned and she just sighed before nodding.

"Ok I promise I won't put myself in danger to be rescued." She told him and he was thankful for that.

"So what happened then? You obviously didn't go out with him tonight?" Lucas pressed and Sawyer shook her head.

"No, I saw him at the school gates kissing the most popular girl, but that's why I feel stupid. I believed him when he said he liked me, but he didn't." She explained.

"You're not stupid ok. He is though and I'm not just saying this because I'm your Dad, but you'd have been too good for him anyway." He told her and Sawyer just laughed.

"And he wouldn't have been good enough for me right?" She asked just as Peyton walked into the room, having been eavesdropping on their conversation for the last ten minutes.

"Oh yeah, he's used that one on me in the past haven't you honey?" She said as she sat down next to them on the bed.

"Hey, any male out there isn't good enough for my girls except me ok." He told them and they both just smiled.

* * *

_F__or all your days and nights_  
_I'm gonna be there_  
_I'm gonna be there yes I will_  
_Go gentle through your life_  
_If you want me I'll be there_  
_When you need me I'll be there for you_

Sawyer was now 18, she was a few weeks off leaving for college. She'd graduated High School and would be pursuing her art dream. She was thrilled, happy and excited about it, but a part of her was sad at the same time. Her college wasn't in the area, infact it was the other side of the country and it would mean her moving. She'd never really been away from her parents before, there'd been times in her teenage years where she wished she could have been as far away as possible, arguments would have arisen and she'd claim how she couldn't wait to move out one day, but now that day was two weeks away and she wasn't looking forward to it.

She hadn't really let on to her Mom and Dad about it and she got the feeling they hadn't with her, but she could tell. Her Mom had been showering her with more love than usual, cooking Sawyer her favourite meals and practically waiting on her hand and foot, but Sawyer never said anything. She'd also noticed the way her Dad was acting around her recently, he wasn't as obvious in showing it as her Mom had been, but there were little things she'd picked up on. He'd hug her that little bit tighter than normal, he'd let her watch her favourite shows on tv without complaining or sticking his head in a book if he was in the same room and he'd let her borrow his car without any hesitation.

She'd been driving for about a year now, infact Lucas was the one who'd taught her...well not officially but back when she was little, she'd sit in the drivers seat on his lap and he'd let her take the wheel, just like he'd done with her cousin Jamie and just like her Great Uncle Keith had done with him. She'd brought her own car, it wasn't anything fancy, but it was affordable and it got her from A to B, that was all that mattered, but she had to admit she preferred her Dads.

She was now sat in her room making a start on what she'd be taking to college and what she'd be leaving behind. Looking under her bed, she felt a frown form on her face. She'd not really looked under there for years and she'd noticed an old shoebox near the wall. Not knowing what was in it, curiosity got the better of her and she reached right under and grabbed it, dragging it out into the daylight of the room. Lifting the lid, she coughed a little at the dust it had collected over the years and then felt like she'd been transported back in time as to what she'd seen inside. It was her past. Photo's, trinkets and memories that she'd collected over the years since she was little. Picking up some of the photos, she saw a lot with her friends and she had to smile when she'd seen one of her and Mason. The two of them had completely lost contact now, but she was glad she'd found this. He was her first male best friend and this photo would now mean a lot to her. Flicking through all the other ones she'd got in the box, she soon reached the family ones. There were loads from family occasions when she'd been younger and they'd flown her back to Tree Hill or to New Zealand to see Karen, Andy and Lily for Thanksgivings and Christmas, there were a few from Birthday parties and then there were ones of just the three of them as a family. Sawyer had always been an only child, her Mom had had a risky pregnancy with her back in the day and naturally her parents hadn't wanted to take any chances again. There'd been times when Sawyer had wanted a brother or sister when she was little, but looking back now and as selfish as it may sound Sawyer was glad her parents never adopted. She had friends with siblings and even though they loved each other deep down, their childhoods were always full of fighting and their houses were always so crazy and chaotic when she'd gone round for play dates. Her childhood had been so different in comparison, she didn't have to fight for attention or love, she didn't have anyone to fight with over toys and her household had always been peaceful. She was sure that's why this move to college was going to be hard on all three of them because she was their only one.

Sighing to herself she then put her hand back into the box and retrieved a cuddly toy giraffe and she instantly got a flashback of her Dad buying it for her at the zoo's gift shop when she was a kid. Giraffes were the first animal she'd liked when she went there.

"I thought you'd be scared of them, but I remember how amazed you were by their height." She then heard and looked to see her Dad leaning on the frame of her door and she let out a chuckle.

"How long have you been stood there?" She asked and he shrugged before walking in.

"Just a few minutes." He said and then sat down on her bed and looked into the box. He had a little rummage around and then picked up his old basketball jersey from High School. "I wondered where this went." He laughed.

"You remember why I had that?" She asked and Lucas nodded.

"You were three and you'd had a nightmare. Said there were monsters chasing you and you were convinced they were under your bed when I came in to calm you down." He replied.

"They were! They'd still be here now if you hadn't of scared them away." She said and Lucas just laughed.

"You were too scared to go to sleep for the rest of the night and for nights after so I gave you this and told you to wear it saying my scent would scare them off if they came back." He remembered and Sawyer just chuckled.

"Well it worked didn't it? I haven't seen one since." She told him and Lucas smiled at his daughter.

"You should probably take it to college with you incase you find any under your bed there." He said and Sawyer just nodded, but she stayed quiet for a bit.

"I'm really going to miss this place." She said feeling her eyes glaze over as she looked around her room and then her eyes landed on her Dad. "But I'm not going to miss it half as much as I'm going to miss you and Mom." She told him and Lucas just gave her a sympathetic smile and hugged his daughter, kissing the top of her head.

"We're going to miss you too, more than you know, but this is your dream Sawyer and me and your Mom, well we're always going to be here for you, day or night. We're only a phone, video call and plane ticket away, just remember that ok?" He said and Sawyer nodded knowing he was right.

* * *

_Don't try to make them love you  
Don't answer every call  
Baby be a giant  
Let the world be small  
Some of them are deadly  
Some don't let it show  
If they try and hurt you  
Just let your daddy know_

Sawyer had been at college for six months and she'd settled in really well. Thankfully there weren't any monsters under her bed, but she kept her Dad's basketball jersey under there for good measure. She skyped her parents most nights and she wasn't sure why she was so worried about missing them, it felt like she'd never left really.

Again she'd made new friends, she was sharing a house with a few of them and she loved them. They all had the same interests as her and were studying the same course as her. At the weekends they'd all go out together shopping or to the cinema or even to the local bar, but they stuck to soft drinks.

On one night out though, the guy behind the bar had offered her an alcoholic one. Sawyer had never really touched alcohol or been a big fan. Obviously she was still too young for it, but from the odd sip of what she had sneakily tried, she didn't like it.

This guy behind the bar though, she'd gotten to know him over the last six months. He always flashed her a cute smile when she'd gone in with her friends and sometimes she'd sit at the bar and chat to him to keep him company if it was quiet in there. She got the feeling he liked her too, he was always asking her if she was still single or looking for a boyfriend and the truth was she wasn't. She'd not actually been interested in any guys since that whole disaster with Jay back in High School. It had been a good few years ago now, but she was happy to just hang out with her friends and focus on her art. She didn't think you needed a boyfriend to make you happy and she was content without one, but she did have to admit that she felt a little lonely sometimes. Some of her college friends had boyfriends and if they brought them back to the house, Sawyer would see them cuddled up on the couch and wish she had something like that.

"So what do you say to that drink?" The barman had asked her. "I bet you wouldn't be single for long if you let your hair down once in a while and had some alcohol." He then added and Sawyer didn't know whether to take insult to that and be offended?

"Oh I see, you think I'm boring without it so you want me to get drunk and then what? Take you back to mine and spread my legs for you just like all the other sluts my age?" She asked and the barman looked at her stunned. She'd always been so nice to him, polite and well mannered, but then again so had he to her, until he offered her that drink.

"Sawyer I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." He started, but Sawyer just shook her head then went over to her friends.

"Girls, we're leaving and we're not coming back here ever again." She told them and then gave the barman one last look before walking out for good.

A couple of days had passed and the barman had been calling her a few times a day. He'd gotten her number about three months ago when they'd been getting on, but now she wished they'd never swapped them in the first place.

"Sawyer it's me, I'm sorry for what I said the other night, I shouldn't have said it and I shouldn't have even offered you alcohol in the first place. Please call me back and come to bar so I can say sorry face to face." She heard on her voicemail. She'd been ignoring every call and her friends told her she was right to do so.

Hearing her phone ring again Sawyer had had enough and thinking it was the barman, she picked it up and gave him a good ear bashing.

"You sound just like your Mom when she's pissed at someone." The voice on the other end said when she'd finished her rant and Sawyer slapped herself on the head.

"Dad, hi." She replied and then heard him chuckle.

"Not who you were expecting?" He asked and Sawyer just sighed.

"Yeah, you could say that, although I'm so glad it's you I'm speaking to and not some offensive barman." She replied. "Anyway, what's up?" She asked, not wanting to go into it with him.

"Nothing really, I'm staring at a laptop screen unable to write anything, so I thought I'd check in on my daughter and see if she could give me any inspiration." He answered.

"Well other than creating a handbook for men on how to be gentlemen, not really no. Sorry Dad." She responded.

"You want to talk about it?" He asked and Sawyer sighed before explaining what had happened at the bar the other night and Lucas felt proud of his daughter.

Obviously she was right not to accept alcohol given her age, but she had other reasoning for it too and she'd stuck to her morals. Girls of her age were rebellious, they got drunk, flung themselves at guys who probably didn't even like them let alone fancy them and they were having sex as soon as it was legal too, but not Sawyer. People that weren't her friends and didn't know her might have thought and called her boring, but she wasn't like everybody else and she didn't want to be. She rose above those people and breathed fire at the ones who were asking for it.

"You want me to give this barman a talking to when I next come visit or have you got this yourself?" He then asked and Sawyer laughed into the phone. Her Dad's version of a 'talking to' was usually a punch in the face...well in certain cases anyway, like Julian or Felix or even her Uncle Nathan when him and her Dad had been teenagers. She'd heard plenty of stories from her Mom about those days.

"Thanks Dad, but yeah I can handle this." She told him and the pair of them chatted for another fifteen minutes before hanging up, with Lucas saying that if she changed her mind about this barman needing a talking to or any guy for that matter, to just give him a ring.

* * *

_Now when you go giving your heart make sure they deserve it_  
_If they haven't earned it_  
_Keep searching it's worth it_

Sawyer was now twenty two and she had her own art gallery in New York. She'd graduated college and was now a successful and well known artist. When she'd first left college she'd decided not to move back to her hometown, as much as she would have loved to be near her parents again, there were more opportunities in New York and her parents understood that. They were happy as long as their daughter was happy and they still kept in touch regularly and made trips back and forth for visits just like Sawyer did with them. Her artistic career had even merged into both Peyton and Luke's careers. She'd design album covers for some of her Mom's bands and artists and she'd illustrate some of her Dad's books.

Aside from her job, she'd had a little bit of love in her life too in the last few years. There'd been a guy she'd met in her second year of college and he was her first proper boyfriend. She'd always been happy without one before, but the loneliness and wishing she could have something that her friends in relationships had, had grown more. His name was Ryan and they were together for eight months. They were friends to begin with and then after a while they became more. They dated, became official and spent nearly a year together, sadly though towards the end, things changed. Ryan would go out drinking with his mates more, Sawyer had never had a problem with him going out, he did it every other week and just because she wasn't a big fan of nights out boozing, didn't mean she'd stop him from enjoying himself, but then it got more frequent and on one night out Ryan had got so wasted that he ended up kissing someone else. Sawyer had found out from a friend who'd been at the same place that night and when she had it out with Ryan about it, he admitted that he'd kissed other girls too in the past. He claimed they were all drunken mistakes that meant nothing, but he seemed to remember them quite well. She'd ended it there and then and no second chances were given. It hurt to begin with, but she put all the hurt and bitterness into her art course and used it for inspiration. In time she'd gotten over it and realised that even though it had ended, at least she could say she'd been in a proper relationship and experienced one with ups and downs. It had also been a somewhat lengthy one too and she was thankful for that. She'd never been a one night stand type of girl, she'd always believed in relationships and true love, she blamed her parents and their true love always saying for that, but it had influenced her.

She'd skyped them both a couple of days after her and Ryan's break up, her Mom was threatening to get on a plane and go and see her at the time, while her Dad was threatening to beat Ryan black and blue. If she hadn't of told them not to come over and convinced them that she'd be ok, Ryan was sure to have got more than a talking to from Lucas!

She'd stayed single since, she'd realised that when it came to the opposite sex, she was just unlucky with them and probably always would be. She'd not had the best track record that was for sure, there was Jay in High School, the barman when she'd first started college and then Ryan halfway through her studies, but there had always been one boy that was different and she was about to get a visit from him...

She'd been at work for most of the morning and had her head down, focusing on her latest design. The bell had gone on the door to her gallery, but she was too busy working on her piece to see who it was, they hadn't said anything, so she figured they were nosing around and looking at her collections on the walls.

"I knew your art would always amount to something Sawyer Scott." A voice said and even though it sounded deeper, she recognised it instantly.

Her pencil dropped on the desk and she looked up to see an older, taller and somewhat attractive looking Mason Pearce admiring her work on the walls.

"Mason!" She exclaimed as she got up from her seat and hugged him tightly.

"Hi." He laughed as he hugged her back. "Long time no see right?" He asked and Sawyer pulled away and nodded.

"Yeah, nearly a decade! What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I live here now, moved about a month ago for a new job." He explained. "I was just passing and knew this place was yours, so I thought I'd call in and see my old best friend." He told her.

"I'm so glad you did. It's really good to see you." She said and he flashed her his best smile.

"You too! Look I don't know how tied up you are at the moment..." He started, seeing how she'd been hard at work when he first stepped in. "But do you want to grab a quick coffee?" He asked and Sawyer didn't hesitate.

"Yeah sure, that would be great." She answered and then got her keys and locked up for an hour.

They got a coffee at a little cafe down the road and caught up with each others lives. She found out that he was now a real estate agent, he'd collected some of her art over the last year, his new apartment wasn't that far from hers and he was currently single.

"Well that makes two of us." She told him with a chuckle.

"You single? How is that even possible?" He asked and she went on to explain about her previous let downs of the love kind.

He then filled her in on some of his own dating disasters and she felt more connected to him that she had done when they were younger!

"I'm sorry they didn't work out." She told him and then she felt a little guilty. "Sorry too for us losing touch like we did." She added and Mason just shook his head.

"Don't be, I think it was my fault mainly. I should have kept in contact, but it was hard. You move away like that and over time you drift apart." He said and she nodded and then smiled.

"Well now you practically live on my doorstep, you have no excuse but to keep in touch." She joked and he laughed.

"Trust me, you won't be able to keep me away." He told her and he meant it. He'd always liked Sawyer, she was his first female best friend, but now as he looked at the grown up version of her, he wanted her to be more than that. If he was honest he'd always had a soft spot for her and when he moved away at fourteen, he thought about her a lot. He didn't want to be another guy that would let her down and hurt her, he wanted to be the one that made her happy, that made her smile, that loved her.

"Look I really don't want to, but I should go back and open the gallery up." Sawyer told Mason an hour later and he nodded, but seemed as disappointed as her in her having to go.

"Can I give you a call sometime, we could go see a movie together, maybe go out for dinner?" He asked and then realised how forward he sounded, but Sawyer surprised him.

"Yeah, sure. I'd really like that." She answered and then swapped numbers with him and went back to work feeling really happy.

* * *

_For all your days and nights_  
_I'm gonna be there_  
_I'm gonna be there yes I will_  
_Go gentle through your life_  
_If you want me I'll be there_  
_When you need me I'll be there for you_

A year had gone by since Sawyer had first seen Mason again and they'd officially become a couple a week after they'd reunited. Mason had taken her to the cinema, they'd had dinner and the two of them knew they were right for each other. They had so much in common including a dislike to getting wasted on alcohol and Mason was still the polite, lovely mannered person he was when he was younger. He'd hold doors open for Sawyer, offer to carry shopping bags for her, compliment her daily...he was what she'd longed for and she was what he'd longed for too. A girl that was sweet, kind, caring, polite, not some trashy bimbo who covered herself in make up and only wanted to be with him for his money.

His parents loved her, they'd remembered her from years back and it was the same for Peyton and Lucas. They were thrilled when Sawyer had first told them that her and Mason had met again and were dating. Peyton saw in him what she'd seen in her husband and Lucas knew this man would never need one of his talking too's, but one day last week, Lucas had got a call from Mason himself asking if he could talk to him in person?! At first Lucas had been confused, it was usually him doing the talking to and he knew it was serious if Mason was willing to fly hours on a plane to speak to him, but when Mason landed and turned up at the Scott house, Lucas soon found out what it was about.

"So Sawyer doesn't know you're here?" Peyton asked as she brought the coffees through into the living room and Mason shook his head.

"No, she think's I'm away at a business meeting." He replied and Lucas squinted at him and raised an eyebrow.

"You better have a good reason for lying to my daughter." He said and Peyton just hit him, causing Mason to laugh.

"Ignore him Mase, overprotective father." Peyton told him and Mason just smiled and nodded.

"Don't worry I know." He replied. Over the last year, he'd seen how close Sawyer and her Dad still were and it was sweet. She may have been twenty three now, but she was and would always be a Daddy's girl. "I'm glad you are protective Lucas, she's a precious girl and she's your baby. I know how important she is to you, to both of you." He added, looking at Peyton as well as Lucas and then he carried on. "She's important to me too, I love her as much as you both do and I know how close you all are as a family which is why I wanted to come here today and speak to you both, you especially Lucas." He explained and Peyton just smiled, she knew where this was going and what he was building up to. "I want to ask for your permission to marry your beautiful daughter." He said and Peyton felt her eyes glaze over with tears and as her and Mason both looked at Lucas waiting for his answer, he sat there stunned and speechless, taking in what Mason had just said.

All he could see in his head were flashbacks. The day Sawyer was born, the day he'd brought her home alone as Peyton was still in a coma, that first week he'd spent with Sawyer in the house not knowing what name to give her, the day Peyton woke up and they got to be a proper family for the first time, moving from Tree Hill, giving Sawyer his jersey when she'd had that nightmare at three years old, them going on trips to the zoo, her first day at school, her first disco when she was ten, all those birthdays and family occasions in between, her first heartbreak over Jay in High School, her leaving for college, her getting together with Ryan and being in her first real relationship, her graduating and setting up her own gallery, all those chats with her about boys in her lifetime and now as he came back to reality, there sat opposite him was the best boy his daughter could have wished for asking for his permission to marry her!

"Lucas?" Peyton asked, knocking him from his thoughts and he looked at his wife and then he looked at Mason. How could he say not say yes?!

"Of course you can." He finally told him with a smile and both Mason and Peyton breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you so much Mr Scott. I won't ever hurt her, I'll always love her, take care of her and look after her." He told him before shaking Luke's hand and Luke nodded before getting up and pulling him into a hug.

"What do I always tell you, it's Lucas and I know you will. Welcome to the family son." He told him with a smile.

It was a few weeks later when Sawyer got the surprise news herself. She'd been busy at the gallery and had worked late. She'd called Mason before hand to let him know and he told her it was ok, they'd order takeout and that there'd be a nice relaxing bath waiting for her when she got home. They'd been living together for about six months now, They'd both sold their apartments and brought a nice house together and had really made it look like home.

Just as she was about to leave off, the bell on the door of her gallery went and she saw her boyfriend walk in.

"What are you doing here?" She asked and then panicked a little. "Is everything ok? Has something happened?" She asked and Mason shook his head.

"No, no, don't worry." He replied, "I erm...well I know you're the artist in our relationship, but I've been working on some designs of my own recently." He said with his hands behind his back and Sawyer just looked at him confused, but nodded anyway. "I was wondering what you'd think of them, maybe give them a once over and let me know if their worthy of going on the wall, just a yes or no will do once you've finished." He told her and she took her bag off her shoulder, let out a little sigh and sat down with her hand out ready to take them.

"This better be worth it and there better still be a bath waiting for me when I get home." She said and Mason just smiled and then handed her seven pieces of paper and a small wrapped box. She frowned at him and then put everything down in front of her and her eyes had to do a double take. Each piece of paper had a different word written on it in a different style and colour and once they were placed next to each other they formed a question.

Sawyer Brooke Scott Will You Marry Me?

She looked up at Mason who had a smile on his face and then she looked at the wrapped up box he'd handed her before. "Is...is this what I think it is?" She asked and Mason shrugged.

"Why don't you open it and see?" He said and her shaky hands carefully ripped off the paper and then Mason put his hands on hers before taking the now velvet box out of hers and got down on one knee.

"I love you Sawyer, I think I have done since we were kids. You're it for me, you're everything and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?" He asked and Sawyer just nodded with a huge smile on her face, she couldn't believe this was happening, but when Mason got up and put the ring on her finger, it felt so real.

"I love you so much." She gushed before kissing him passionately and it was only when they pulled away that she remembered what he'd said before and she started laughing.

"What?" He asked.

"Your art designs, you wanted to know if they were worthy of going on the wall? They're going to get pride of place." She said and Mason laughed before kissing her and taking her home for her long awaited bath.

Shortly after having one, she'd wanted to call her parents and tell them of her engagement news, but she was worried about the time difference and waking them up.

"What's wrong?" Mason asked as he saw his now fiancée sat in her dressing gown staring at her phone.

"I want to call Mom and Dad, but it'll be the early hours of the morning where they are, I don't want to wake them or have them think it's an emergency." She told him and Mason just shook his head.

"What does your Dad always say to you? If you want him he'll be there, if you need him he'll be there, day or night." Mason reminded her and she just nodded before calling home.

Thankfully they were happy she'd called and after all the congratulating had been made, Peyton let her in on a little secret. She'd told Sawyer how they already knew that Mason was going to propose and how he'd flown over the other week to ask for her Dad's permission and Sawyer just smiled to herself, she'd got a husband to be that was a man as great as her Dad.

* * *

_Go gentle to the light_  
_I'm gonna be there_  
_I'm gonna be there yes I will_  
_If all your days are nights_  
_When you want me I'll be there_  
_Say my name and I'll be there for you_

A few years had passed, Sawyer and Mason were now married and they were going to be first time parents soon. Sawyer was about six months along and they'd found out they were having a baby boy. Both were thrilled and ecstatic by the news and so were both of their parents. Peyton and Lucas had even decided to move to New York and live there permanently once they heard they were going to be grandparents. They wanted to be near to their grandchild, they wanted to share all those exciting first moments and they wanted to be near to Sawyer too. They'd missed their daughter from the moment she'd left for college and their house had felt far too big for just the two of them in recent years, moving closer seemed good for a lot of reasons.

Mason's parents had also moved closer too, family had suddenly become more important to them in the last few years. Mason's beloved Grandpa Jack had sadly passed away and it had really brought his side of the family together since. Mason and Sawyer had decided to call their baby Jack in a tribute to him once they'd found out they were having a boy and they couldn't wait to meet him in a few months. They near enough had everything ready, Mason had decorated and furnished a nursery, they'd gotten everything they'd needed for him and they'd baby proofed the whole house, but lately Sawyer had been feeling a little anxious about her impending bundle of joy. She wasn't sure if it was just her hormones playing with her mind, but she was convinced she wasn't going to be great at the whole Mom thing.

She'd had a good chat about it with her own Mom when she'd popped over one morning last week and as much as Peyton tried to tell her otherwise, it just went in one ear and out of the other. Mason's Mom had also told her not to be so worried and that she'd be the perfect Mom with Mason's Dad saying that it was normal for her to feel that way, all first time Mother's did and it was just a case of baby jitters, a bit like cold feet before a wedding. Sawyer had nodded along, but again, it went in one ear and out of the other.

"Maybe you should stop looking at those books and magazines babe. Maybe that's what's making you feel the way you do lately." Mason himself told his wife early one evening.

They were both relaxing on the couch in front of the tv, but her eyes hadn't been focused on the show that was on, infact ever since her second month of pregnancy, Sawyer had had her head in baby books and magazines. She'd read every piece of information she could and tried to take everything in. She didn't want to be the perfect or best Mom, but she wanted to be a good one or at least a half decent one.

Looking at her husband after his remark, Sawyer just sighed. "There's just so much stuff to know and remember. It's not a case of once he's here everything will be ok. When he cries, it could be for a number of reasons and then there's all the pros and cons of breast feeding, some Mother's say it's good, others don't recommend it. Plus it says there's different ways of..." She rambled and Mason just took hold of her hand and shook his head telling her to stop.

"Baby, you're going to stress yourself out at this rate." He told her and she just sighed again and then looked down at her growing baby bump.

"I'm just worried that I won't be good enough. I've never really been around children let alone babies before. What if...what if I can't hold him properly or I drop him? Oh God what if I drop him? We'll end up in the emergency room and they'll take him away from us!" She panicked.

"Sawyer!" Mason said firmly to shut her up before she worked herself into more of a state and then he smiled at her as she calmed down and looked at him. "You need to stop this ok, you need to tell your head to quit thinking these things, because no matter what you say, I know you're going to be an amazing Mom to our little boy and so does everybody else. All this is just in your head. Trust me, you'll know exactly what to do when he's here, you'll know the reason for him crying, you'll be able to hold him and you won't drop him." He told her and even after all that, Sawyer could only still shrug.

Letting out a sigh himself, Mason knew there was only one person left that could maybe get through to her and he made sure to ring him later that night.

The following day while Mason had gone out to work, Sawyer heard a knock at the door. She frowned to herself as she wasn't expecting anyone and then she waddled to the door and opened it to see her Dad stood there with a cuddly toy giraffe in his hand, much like the one he'd bought for her at the zoo when she was a little girl.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" She asked and Lucas just laughed before walking inside.

"Well other than giving you this for the baby." He said, handing the giraffe over. "I've come to talk sense into my stubborn daughters head." He replied and she rolled her eyes.

"Did Mason call you and by the way I'm not stubborn." She said before waddling to the kitchen, obviously going to make them both a drink.

Lucas quickly followed her and put his hand on her shoulder to stop her. "So stubborn that you can't sit down and let me make us drinks and for the record, Mason did call yeah, but your Mom's also told me how deluded that head of yours is lately." He answered with a smile and Sawyer just shook her head with a slight chuckle before leaving him to it and going back to the living room to sit down.

"So come on then, what makes you think you're going to win 'Bad Mom Of The Year' award before you've even had the little tyke?" Lucas asked when he came in with drinks for them both and Sawyer explained her reasons.

"I was an only child, I never had younger siblings to look after or take care of. I've read so many baby books, but I still don't know the first thing and they all say so many different things." She explained.

"You know why they do?" He asked and Sawyer just looked at him and squinted.

"To kill the brain cells that the baby hasn't had chance to yet?" She replied sarcastically and Lucas just laughed. She was sat there stressing over Motherhood, wearing his goofy squint and being as sarcastic as her own Mother.

"Funny." He replied and then shook his head. "No seriously, they say different things because every baby is different. Some are going to cry all night like your cousin Jamie used to, some are going to cry on and off like Lily did and some are hardly going to cry at all, like you used to." He explained.

"I hardly ever cried?" She asked, never knowing that before and Lucas shook his head.

"No, I mean you did that first week I brought you home, but I was sure that was because you wanted your Mom and she was zoned out in a coma at the time which wasn't very helpful." He chuckled and Sawyer smiled. She loved that he could joke about it now, at the time he was probably worried sick. "But when she was ok and she came home, you stopped. You didn't cry much at all and whenever you did it was because you just wanted a little cuddle." He told her and she nodded before looking at her Dad. He was older yeah and so was she, but right now she felt like having a little cry and one of his cuddles.

"I guess I'm just scared? I'd been so happy when we found out, but now it's getting nearer and becoming more real and..." She said with her voice cracking and Lucas just pulled her into him and hugged her as she began crying and he couldn't help but be transported back in time to High School when Haley had been scared about being pregnant with Jamie.

"Shhh, it's going to be ok." He told his daughter, echoing it from the past. "You're going to be a great Mom Sawyer." He added and then pulled away and wiped the tears that had escaped her eyes.

"How do you know that?" She asked and Lucas just smiled, thinking back to what he'd told his best friend when she'd asked him the same thing.

"Because you learnt from the best." He told her and Sawyer just looked into her Dad's eyes and thought about her childhood and how much she'd loved it and loved her parents. He was right. "Me and your Mom, we didn't have a clue about how to be parents to begin with, me especially, I felt like I was in over my head that first week...so you're already doing good angel." He joked with a wink and Sawyer just laughed. "It'll come naturally Sawy, don't worry and don't stress ok and we're all here if things do get too much and you need a break. Night or day." He added and Sawyer nodded.

"Thanks Dad. I love you." She told him and then gave him a big hug.

"I love you too baby girl." He replied, kissing the top of her head.

A few months later and Sawyer had given birth to a healthy and happy baby boy. He was three months old at the moment and just like her Dad and everybody else had said, Sawyer had taken to Motherhood like a duck to water. They'd named him Jack like they'd planned, but they'd also given him a special middle name, _Lucas._

The man himself hadn't been expecting it at all and was a little overwhelmed when he'd found out, but Sawyer had told him that Jack deserved his name. He'd been and still was the most amazing and wonderful Father to her and she knew he'd be the same in Grandpa form to Jack and when she overheard him talking to his grandson through the baby monitor one afternoon, he'd proved her right.

"We all love you Jack and you're going to have such a brilliant and happy life, but if things ever get tough or you need someone that isn't your Mom and Dad to talk to, you just say my name little one and I'll be there for you. Day or night, I'll be there." Lucas said and Sawyer just smiled to herself.

In the past, her track record with men had been bad, but now she had the best husband, a beautiful baby boy and the one man that she'd loved since the day she was born, her Dad. What more could she have asked for?


End file.
